A Group of Students Utilized Jatropha and Pare Fruits Seeds for Men Antifertility
Pare (Momordica charantia) and Jatropha seeds are traditional herbal medicine Antifertility that have been screened for contraceptive potential and anti-fertility effects. Jatropha is a shrub that is resistant to drought. Jatropha is a drought-resistant perennial, growing well in marginal/poor soil. It is easy to establish, grows relatively quickly and lives, producing seeds for 50 years. Jatropha extracts with different concentration when given orally to mice showed contraceptive and abortive properties. Pharmacological studies have demonstrated significant action of different extracts and/or isolated compounds of jatropha as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, antihypertensive, and anticancer agents, among others, supporting some of its popular uses. Ethanolic extract of Jatropha seeds given to female mice prolonged the estrous cycle with increase in duration of diestrus stage. Momordica charantia a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is known as bitter melon, karela, and pare. It grows in tropical areas of the Amazon, East Africa, Asia, India, Indonesia etc., and is used traditionally as both food and medicine. In Indonesia, pare leaves are used as treatment of emetic symptoms following abdominal hysterectomy, inflammation, skin diseases and worms. The effects of Pare fruit extracts may also suppress male reproductive function dog testicular in producing spermatozoa. However, it is necessary to test to further the contents of pare and jatropha seeds, so that both materials can be used as alternative contraceptives.
Accordingly, Lilis Nurhadijah and her group, students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), under the sponsorships of Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa Penelitian (PKM-P Student Creativity Program Research) took initiative to conduct research to find out the potential of jatropha and Pare fruit as a contraceptive. The group consists of Alfa Aditya Perdana, Ferian Aji Setiyoko, Widyawati and Baiq Nabila Muftia. The aim of the research were to get optimum formula based on extract of pare and jatropha seeds as alternative herbal based contraception. This formula will be for antifertility and to applied for men in the near future.
"We are interested in implementing such research program as we understand the rapid growth rate the population of Indonesias. Conventional contraception that exists has many side effects, especially for women. Still want to explore herbs as an option for birth control for Indonesia? Herbal contraceptives are not common or rarely used, therefore alternative herbal contraceptive must be explored, "said Lilis chairman of the PKMPE Group.
Students of the Department of Chemistry of Faculty of Natural Resources and Mathematics (FMIPA IPB) stated that active compound of cucurbitacins contained in pare fruits can also inhibits the growth of spermatogenesis. While the active substances contained in jatrophone will act as an antifertility agent. Their combination enhances the effectiveness of reproduction inhibition efforts.
The team used jatropha seed and dried pare fruits obtained from the Biological Research Center-LIPI Bogor. Modern methods are followed to extract more oils from the jatropha seeds and pare using maseration method (the simplicia extracting process using solvent with several times stirring at room temperature). This experiment utilized male white wistar rats given 6 different treatments. Jatropha seed extract and pare fruits obtained were suspended in carriers (Na CMC 1%) at prescribed doses. The extract were given orally once a day for 48 days.
The control treatments were, rats treated with jatropha seed extract, rats treated with pare extract, and mice given a combination of jatropha seed extract and pare with 3 different doses.
"We used 26 rats that were divided into 6 different treatment groups. Each treatment group had a combination of doses between pare and different schedule of observation. Every day rats are fed and drunk. The rats were weighed once a week. Each rat was given oral extract for 48 days (considering 1 cycle of rat spermatogenesis was 48 days). After that the euthanasia process was carried out for rats, then surgery were performed to take part the epididymis of mice. Then the testes of rats were then weighted. Calculates the amount of sperm motility under a microscope. All the treatment and procedures were carried out in the animal laboratory and have been approved by animal ethics committee of FKH IPB with the priority of animal welfare, "said Lilis.
This study has arrived at the animal treatment stage. However, the result will be obtained seen after surgery. Currently the group obtained data on the body weight. After treatment, the weight gain of rats continued. It proved that pare and jatropha extracts and this distance do not affect the normal growth of the animal.
"Hopefully the group’ research program will help the government to succeed its family planning program. In addition the result of the research will become the alternative herbal-based Antifertility for men, thus will make effective family planning program, "he said. (Wied)
